Customs Seize 25 Containers Laden With N9.23bn Illicit Drugs, Unregistered Pharmaceuticals Products
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have showcased seized 25 container loads of illicit drugs, expired Pharmaceuticals and other adulterated products valued at over N9.2 billion.
Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, on Friday handed over the seizures to official of the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), at Apapa Port, Lagos.
Adeniyi who expressed displeasure at the development said the Service would review its operations such as reviewing licenses of bonded terminals operating across the country, saying the decision follows trade infractions spotted across some bonded terminals operating in Lagos recently.
Speaking at the event the Customs boss said the handover is another tangible result of combined commitment between the Nigeria Customs Service and NAFDAC following a strategic Memorandum of Understanding signed in November 2024 and recent inauguration of its implementation committee, which he said has already began to yield remarkable dividends in customs enforcement efforts against unwholesome food and Pharmaceutical products.
He said the MoU framework has enabled customs and NAFDAC to conduct coordinated operations and joint investigations, systematically tracing Illicit pharmaceutical sources and deploying targeted enforcement strategies against criminal networks.
According to him inter-agency collaboration and intelligence sharing have been central to customs enforcement philosophy and under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
” As s service we remain committed to making our seaport, airports and Land borders impenetrable barriers against snugging operations through our unrelenting nation wide anti- contraband initiatives.
” Our intelligence led enforcement strategy, enhanced by real-time collaboration with regulatory agencies has fundamentally transformed our operational capabilities
” Today we formally handover to NAFDAC a total of 25 containers Laden with counterfeit medications, Unregistered Pharmaceutical products and prohibited substances including codeine-based preparations that pose imminent danger to public health. These seizures with an aggregate Duty Paid Value of N9,235,402, 973.00 represent a sophisticated network of criminal enterprises that deliberately exploit regulatory gaps to compromise our national health security”, Adeniyi said.
Further Adeniyi said customs partnership with NAFDAC and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA remains uncompromisingly committed to battle against merchants of death who Pursue Illicit profits from businesses that destroy lives and communities.
He said; “under the coordination of the office of the National Security Advisor, our joint operations have resulted in the seizure of over 200 containers followed by Coordinated destruction exercises, with unregistered pharmaceutical products Comprising 63.7 per cent of seizure values”, he noted.
